The Dodo Archive

Free Sunder Now: Elephant Found Abused In India -- Again

Sunder the elephant, the longtime subject of animal rights activists in India, is still not free, and needs help now more than ever. The 14-year-old elephant was found with massive wounds from a chain around his hind leg by an inspector at a "sanctuary" that has been decried by activists as nothing more than a decrepit shed. The activists (and many others) are calling for Sunder to be moved immediately to an elephant-care center in Bangalore "on an emergency basis."

Sunder's story is long and sad -- originally given as a gift to a temple in Kolhapur, India, he was abused for six years until he was sent to where he is now by an order from the Maharashtra Forest Department. At the poultry shed where he's being held, undercover video showed him living in awful conditions and workers abusing him. But there's still hope for Sunder -- in April, PETA India announced that he would in fact be transferred to the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Bangalore.

Though the paperwork is done, Sunder is still waiting for the Forest Department to set a date, and clearly not doing well in the meantime. You can see footage of Sunder's injury here (but be warned -- the footage is graphic and disturbing).

You can help by writing to to Maharashtra forest officials -- PETA has their contact information here -- and asking them to move Sunder immediately, before he is harmed any more.

Sunder the elephant was abused for six years only to be moved and abused yet again. He is slated to be moved to a rehabilitation center -- but a date is yet to be set. Join us in calling on the Maharashtra Forest Department to set a date to move Sunder.

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